Father Jim Goggins of St. Mary Catholic Church in Greeley blesses a crowd and the future site of Guadalupe Apartments, a 47-unit complex designed to alleviate the demand for permanent supportive housing in Weld County for homeless and low-income families and individuals.

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About 100 Weld County leaders, nonprofit organizers, health administrators and residents stood under a hot spring sun Thursday afternoon to celebrate construction one of the state's first permanent supportive housing projects.

The Guadalupe Apartments, at O Street and 11th Avenue, will house and offer services to 47 families who were, at some point, homeless.

"It's a necessary part of what we need in Greeley," said Mayor Tom Norton.

Homelessness is high on city and nonprofit leaders' agendas this year. A coalition fighting homelessness — composed of Greeley officials, United Way organizers and many others — has been working since last spring to create a master plan that they hope will be done in May.

Archdiocesan Housing Inc., a subsidiary of Catholic Charities of Denver, is developing the project, which they hope will serve Weld County residents struggling with homelessness, including those displaced by the 2013 floods.

The Guadalupe Center will be more than housing. It will be part of a recovery center that the Catholic Charities started six years ago when they broke ground for the Guadalupe Community Center and Shelter, 1442 N. 11th Ave. The shelter provides more than 50 people with emergency shelter and social services.

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The apartments will be on the same block, forming a Guadalupe Center campus, and residents will have access to the center's services.

"Some people — you can't just give them four walls," said Justin Raddatz, executive director of Archdiocesan Housing Inc.

They need more to get out of the hole they're in. He pointed to those suffering mental health problems and struggling with addiction. These are problems combat veterans can fall into.

The Catholic Charities partners with North Range Behavioral Health to offer substance abuse treatment and other kinds of counseling. Sunrise Community Health Center assists residents with medical needs. There are services for the mentally and physically disabled. The shelter has a computer room, where High Plains Library District sends librarians to help residents with computer literacy and job searches.

These organizations hope to embed employees at the apartments, said North Range Behavioral Health Administrative Director Michael McCormick.